System of propulsion for ships



M. A. L. BlDOlRE SYSTEM OF PROPULSION FOR SHIPS Filed July 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'Oct. 23, 1928. 1,688,376

M. A. L. BIDOIRE SYSTEM OF PROPULSION FOR SHIPS Filed July 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 23, 1928.

MAXIME AUGUSTE LEON BIDOIRE, or iPARIS, FRANCE.

SYSTEM OF rnorunsron non sIIIrs.

Application filed Ju1y16', 1926 Serial No.

The use on liners of screw propellersde signed to impart comparatively high speeds tothein has, among otherdisadvantages, that of low e'l'liciency. It seems at present impossible to think ot' obtaining, by means of screws, speeds of the order of 100 km. per hour,l.or example, every-screw having,-hy

its :nature, a maximum peripheral speed which cannot be exceeded without creating eddies which reduces its already ifeeble efficiency. a c

The system of propulsionto be described permits of both a considerably high degree of eliiciency and armuch higher speed of the ship being obtained than it is possible to obtain'by means of' screws." In the accompanying drawings, zturnishe d by way -ot' eXa1nple-,'%thesystem .is :represente d very diagrammatically, abut sufficiently clearly to enable it to be seen that use is made of shutters pivoted on a support to which an alternating rand rectilinear movement is imparted in the interior-of and along a conduit arranged longitudinally along the axis of the boat, below the line of flotation and pat ithe same time below the centre of gravity-ofthe boat, the water entering and filling :this conduit completely. During one of theastrokes of the shutter support, the shutters are located at right angles to the direction-of their rectilinear movement. The shutters thenzact as frames the action of which onthenwater causes a reaction to take place on :them and their support and, consequentlyxon the ship which movesin the direction opposite to that in which the shutters are actuated at the same instant. c

During the return stroke of thesupport, the shutters, turningon the pivot on which they ,are mounted, set themselwes parallel to the direction of their rectilinear movement and consequently do not offer :any resistance of a deleterious nature .to1the forward *move ment of the ship. I I

By giving tothe conduit .for the passage or the water a large section, a certain number of shutters can :be utilized oilering ,an equally large total useful surface, the useful eiiect, that is to say, the speed of progress of theship depending,over andabove this surface of theshutters, on the length or the rectilinear stroke offlthese latter and on the speed at which they are moved. 1 Finally, by combining in thesame conduit two shutter supports moved synchronously 122 848, and Germany August 17, 1925.

but in opposite directions, one of the sup ports Candle caused to accomplish a working or operative stroke while the other support I returns'to the original position;

1 1itheaccompanying drawings by way of example Fig. l=is a diagrammatic and fragmentary plan view, partlyin section, of apropulsion sys'temembodying the present invention;

Figi is a similar View showing the parts in position to drive the vessel aster'n;

Eigrifi'is a side view, partly in section, of a vessel showing a longitudinal water sconduit extending therethrough, in which conduitmy propulsion system is adapted to op crate;

"Fig. dis a cross section of the vessel showing the position of theconduit;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view show- Cit ing a modification of theshutter. operating mechanism;

Figure (3 is a cross sectional view-otthe water conduit showing a shutter support and operating mechanism therefor; and i a Fig. 7 is a fragmentaryplan view, showing particularly mechanism for controlling the operation of the shutters.

As shown in 'Figure 1,-the support is constituted by a frame 1, as slender as possible as shown in Figure 2 and carrying rods 3 to each ott which is pivoted a shutter 4, re inforced, so as to give it the necessary rigidity, by-one ormore angle pieces 5 arranged vertically and horizontally.

On the irame 1 may alsooscillate, under the act on ot a mechanism whichwill be hereinafter describecha rod 6 with vanes 7;

(or a number of rods "(5 it the lrame has several sets of shutters)" Each vane 7 acts as a support to the rerticaledge of cachet the shutters 4. i I By means of coupling rods '8, passing through fiuidtightjoints 9 formed in the wall 10 ofthepassag'e 11, the frame 1 is connected to a strong connecting ,piece 12 fixed'to the endofa rod 18 "of a piston 14 which works in a cylinder 15"1mder the action of steam or acompressed. combustile or an explosive fluid. The double acting motor device- 14,15 placed outside the conduit ll, therefore allows the frame lto moved alternately in the directionindicated by thearrows F and then in the direction indicated by the arrows Ill) 7 through sevomotors 'in such a Way that by plied against the vanes "7, act on the mass of water situated at A, and this mass, reacting on the whole system, causes the ship to move in the direction indicatedby the arrow F hen the motor 14:, 1'5 drives the frame 1 in the direction Fa, the shutters 'take up, under the thrust of the mass of water situated at B, the position shown in dot anddash lines, but return to bear upon the vanes 7 as soon as the following stroke F begins.

If the direction in which the ship is travelling indicated by the arrow F corresponds to the forward movement of the vessel, 1t

suffices, in order to. make the vessel go astern or to check the forward movement thereof, to turn therod 6through an angle of 90 degrees either by operating it directly, or

' moving out of the waythe vanes 7 allow} the shutters l to pass from the zone A into the zone B, see Figure 2, which takes place during the movement of the frame 1 in; the direction F; The shutters then occupy the posi-t tion indicated by dot and dash lines infFig ure 2. r i 1 t The rod 6 being brought back to the original position before the termination of this I movement of the frame, it follows that, when this latter is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow Fa, the shutters 4 will act on the mass of water situated at B with the result that there will be reaction in the direction F opposed to F v By arranging two frames 1 and 1* in the conduit both, of the same kind, sufficiently far apart fr om each other (see Figures 8 and and connected through the medium of racks 16 prolonging each rod 8, and gear ing at diametrically opposite points into one or more toothed wheels 17 revolving on axles carriedby a suitable fixed support 18, it is possible by means of the motor to cause the frames 1 and 1 to move simultaneously 'andsynchronouslybut in inverse or oppo- S1138 dlIECtlOHS, one being always in the workmg or operative p0Sl fi1OIl=Of its shutters while the other ismakingits return stroke In Figures 5 and 6, each frame is-supposed to comprise six shutters 1, but this number may be any other. i

In FiguresG and 7 it will be seen that each rod 6 with its vanes "71 is connected at one of itsends, to a lever 19. All theseleversare' coupled or connected by a 'rod 20 and on one of the rods is fixed a lever 21 the free end of which isengaged between two projections 22 integral with an operating rod 23 passing like the rods 8 into a joint 9 in the wall 10 of the conduitll. a I

" The rod is normally moved with the rods 8, but by means for example,'of'a lever 2 l-oscillating at 25 on one of the rods 8, the

rod 23 can bemovedirelatively to the rod 8, so'as to cause the levers 2 1 and 19 to oscillate throughan angle of90 degrees, and conse quently. the vanes 7 which thus take up the fluid-tight doors 26,

position shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 7, which position allows the shutters to pass from the zone A to the zone B or vice versa. I

By'giving'to the cylinder or cylinders 15' of the motor, to the rods 8' and the racks 16 a suitable length, taking into account the length of the conduit 11 (which depends on the length of the ship) it is possible by'means of suitable motors, to cause each frame 1 to traverse in a given time, a useful rectilinear path greater than the forward movement which the gyratory movement'of the screw worked by an engine of corresponding power would give.

In consequence of the factthat in the sys tem which has just been described, the n1otive force is opposed to the lines ofcresistance in a parallel direction and not-obliquely as,

in the case of a screw, the power obtained is considerably augmented. j 7

-The general arrangements which have been described and diagrammatically shown may comprise numerous modifications both" in the mounting of the shutters on their supports and in the means employed for operating or working these supports. In particuA lar, the rods 8 may have motorsateach end thus causing a considerable lengthening of the ship. I c I I Any suitable type of motor may beused, thus electricmotorswith automatic reverse ing gear applied to the gearings 17 may be used (i; e. motors similar to those used for driving the rolls of rolling mills as for example with an Ilgner converting group).

The inventor likewise may arrange parallel with the ship, two conduits similar to the one shown in the drawings. By putting the shutter frames of one of these conduits half a stroke out of phase relatively to the frameof thesecond conduit, continuity of the propulsive efiect is ensured, during the passage ofthe frames of one conduit over the dead point, one of the frames of the other conduit always working at full power.

For the purpose of allowing of inspection,

combination, a frame mounted for 'reciprocation'in a water'conduit formed in the ship,

apair of shutters pivotally mounted at oppositesidesof the frame extendingtowards v each other-and having their'fr'ee ends spaced,

a stop for the shutters comprising a rod extending parallel to the axes of the shutters and having lateral projections adapted to engage the free ends of the shutters, and means for rotating the rod on its axis Whereby said projections can be brought opposite either side of the free ends of said shutters.

2. In a system of propulsion for ships, in eomloinatiom a frame mounted for reciprocation in a Water conduit formed in the ship, a plurality of pairs of shutters pivotally mounted in transverse alinement in said frame and having their free ends spaced,

stops for the shutters comprising r0dsextending parallel to the axes of the shutters and having lateral projections adapted to engage the free ends of the shutters, an arm on each of said rods, a link connecting said arms, and manually operable means for rotating one of said rods whereby said projections can be brought opposite either side of the free ends of said shutters.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

MAXIME AUGUSTE LEON BIDOIRE. 

